13.7 km team time trial40.2 km individual time trial50 summits2 rest daysNOT JUST SPAINThe 72nd edition of the Vuelta will depart, for the third time in its history, from another country. The tour will take off from the French city of Nîmes, and two stages will take place entirely on Gaul territory. We will also ride through Andorra, which will host a finale and a departure.

BONUSESThe race continues to have the same bonus points system that awards 10, 6 and 4 seconds to the first three riders in each stage, respectively, and 3, 2 and 1 seconds to the first three riders to complete each intermediate sprint.

POINTSIn the Vuelta, not only the general classification is at stake, riders also fight to be first in the points classification, or to become King of the Mountain in each edition. Points are obtained through the following system: 25 points are given to the stage winner, 20 to the rider that takes second place, 16 to the rider that comes third, 14 to 4th place, 12 to 5th place and then from 10 to 1 point between 6th and 15th place, respectively. Intermediate sprints award 4, 2 and 1 points to the first three riders to complete each one.

The triple winner of La Vuelta Alberto Contador will take the start of his last race on August 19 in Nîmes. As homage to his brilliant career, he's been assigned the race bib number 1 by the organization.

Alberto Contador announced on Monday that La Vuelta 2017 will be the last race of his career. It'll be his fifth participation to an event he won three times (2008, 2012 and 2014) and finished fourth last year (behind Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome and Esteban Chaves). He never tackled it as defending champion in the past, so for the first – and last – time, he'll be identified by the bib number 1 as the organization decided to put his team Trek-Segafredo on top of the start list.

Title: Re: Vuelta a España 2017 a middle size preview
Post by: just some guy on August 12, 2017, 13:57

1, #tt,Saturday August 19th, Nîmes / Nîmes, 13.7 km,

Fernando Escartín commentaryTTT. The Nîmes time trial will be very technical: the teams will have to ride through the streets in the old part of the city, right through the heart of historical buildings. The key will lie in being completely in sync from the very beginning, maintaining a very high speed and making sure that each and every rider does his job well in each section of the stage.

Flat. This stage will be one of the few in this year's Vuelta to end with a sprint to the finish-line. The stage will take place entirely in France, with all the obstacles that this implies: lots of roundabouts and central isles, all of which will force the peloton to ride in a straight line. Special attention must be paid to the crosswind and the echelons found along the coastline.

Mountain. The peloton will ride comfortably up until Andorra, where a first natural selection process will take place. The climb to La Comella, short yet explosive, will take care of the rest. It will be complicated to organise a breakaway but we do not write off the possibility of attacks in the very last kilometre. If one of the strong riders shows any signs of weakness, this could complicate his Vuelta.

Flat. This will be the second sprint to the finish-line, another of the few opportunities for sprinters in the 2017 Vuelta. We may have a few breakaways at the beginning, but the sprinter teams will be able to control them and head down to Tarragona in order to win the stage.

Mid-moutain, with an uphill finale. The terrain will be a “leg-breaker” from the beginning. The climbs will not be excessively difficult, but they will wear down the peloton so that the first uphill finish at the Ermita de Santa Lucía, will be a spectacular one. It will be a battle to the end and the 2nd category climb at Serratella will be a decisive one, though differences among the strongest riders will be minimal.

Mid-mountain. Favourable stage for breakaways. The 2nd category Garbí climb may lead to the formation of a group that will fight for victory, but this will all depend on how good the breakaway is. By this point, there will already be around 15 riders who stand out in the general classification and we will know who has a real chance of winning La Vuelta.

Mid-mountain. The longest stage of La Vuelta (205,2 kilometres), with a “leg-breaker” route all the way up to Cuenca. The climb up to the castle, with its characteristic stone pavement, will break up the peloton in order to make the most of the road's smooth sections. The peloton will arrive all spread out and the finale promises to be an exciting one.

Mid-mountain, with an uphill finale. Stage with a classic Vuelta finale and a new test for the leaders. The last climb, with slopes of inclinations over 20%, will not make much of a difference to the general classification, but it will add up to the times already obtained in Andorra and in the Ermita de Santa Lucía.

Flat, with an uphill finale. The Levante coast will be the star and will accompany the peloton throughout the entire route. The departure will be a fast one and a breakaway is very likely. But the day may result in teams fighting for a stage victory and not for the general classification.

Flat. Transition stage that will end with a climb up the Collado Bermejo. Favourable for breakaways, although the last climb may see a large group fighting for victory. That same mountain pass will result in the sprinters being less active

Mid-mountain, with an uphill finale. A day with a 3,434-metre slope that can result in significant differences to the general classification and begin to hint at a possible winner. The final mountain pass is a long one, but not excessively difficult, and it will require consistency in order to conquer Velefique and Calar Alto, two back-to-back 1st category climbs.

Mid-mountain. Consolidated differences in the general classification will favour a breakaway. The ascent of the Puerto del León (a 1st category climb) and the Puerto del Torcal (2nd category - 17 km from the finish-line -), will wear the riders down. There shouldn't be any surprises, despite a total of 2,300 metres of slopes in this stage.

Flat. New day for sprinters, and one of their final opportunities in this year's Vuelta. Their teams will be keeping everything in control so that there are no complications. The arrival in warm Seville after two weeks of competing will allow us to assess how tired everyone's legs are.

Mountain. The heat will accompany the peloton during a “leg-breaker” stage with a final climb up La Pandera (HC). The accumulated exhaustion and high temperatures will hinder a stage that could be favourable for a breakaway win, depending on everyone's interests regarding the general classification

Mountain. Short stage with the main events including a climb up Hazallanas, Monachil and the arrival at Sierra Nevada (2,490 metres above sea-level), making a total of 3,172 metres of slopes. The riders will be traveling at high speed from the beginning and one of the leaders may be in for a tough day. All of them will be thinking about what happened in 2016 between Sabiñánigo and Formigal.

ITT. 42-kilometre long flat individual time trial, among vineyards and wineries. A route for true specialists that will make big differences to the general classification. The stage is also twice as dangerous as it is being held straight after a rest day.

Mountain. Castille will bid farewell to the peloton with a simple start to the stage, followed by almost 3,000 metres of slopes. The spectacular descent from La Lunada, that will lead straight onto the Alisas mountain pass, and the final climb up the infernal Los Machucos slopes will really test the peloton's strength.

(http://Mid-mountain. The second consecutive mountain stage will be favourable for breakaways. The peloton will complete several back-to-back climbs, including the Collada de Carmona, Collada de Ozalba and Collada de la Hoz, before reaching the final 2.5 km slope that will lead them to the Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery, where we expect to see a spectacular finale.)

Mid-mountain. The San Martín mountain pass will await the peloton 16.6 kilometres from the finish-line. A short ascent with very tough slopes that will result in important differences to the general classification. If the leaders lose their concentration, even for a second, we could see some surprises.

Mountain. Short stage (119.2 kilometres), but very tough. La Vuelta winner may be determined at the Alto de l'Angliru, as was the case in 2011 between Chris Froome and Juanjo Cobo. It is the last stage and the riders will give it their all, so we are in for a good show

Flat. As is normally the case, the last day will serve to crown and receive the Vuelta winner in the Spanish capital. The three weeks of hard work, sacrifice and suffering will be rewarded with a stage that will take the peloton through the heart of Madrid in order to bring the 72nd edition of the Vuelta to a close.

(http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/VUE/2017/2100/CARTE.jpg)

(http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/VUE/2017/2100/PROFIL.png)

(http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/VUE/2017/2100/PROFILKMS.png)

Title: Re: Vuelta a España 2017 a middle size preview
Post by: just some guy on August 12, 2017, 14:00

(http://cdn.media.cyclingnews.com/2017/06/22/1/image012_670.jpg)

Also read the GC contenders thread and vote in the Poll Link (http://velorooms.com/index.php?topic=8693.0)